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Hosted Communications Sought As Legacy Replacements

Written by Katie Maller, Communications Manager | December 02, 2014

Everything has a shelf life - even communications systems. While there are plenty of legacy circuits that can be easily adapted for modern needs, others have aged significantly and are going to cost more that it's worth to keep around. Rather than seek a physical replacement, more companies are realizing that it is in their best interest to look into hosted solutions.

According to TMCnet Web editor Maurice Nagle, this shift is also the result of changing workplace attitudes. Consumer mobile devices have helped to alter how people view the concept of the office.

"As the workplace is less and less a centralized office, and more and more one's home or a coffee shop the choice here is simple," Nagle wrote. "The prevalence of telecommuting and the remote workforce make hosted PBX the more popular choice in this instance."

The next step for enterprise telecom is a hosted VoIP system that's available through the cloud. How people connect with one another is changing, and with many legacy networks reaching their natural end of life, it is time to invest in new solutions that consider modern users.

Embracing The Cloud Should Be A Priority

There are few technologies that have empowered businesses in the way that the cloud has. By improving access and delivery of information and services, the cloud has helped to redefine what it means to work. According to No Jitter contributor and ZK Research founder Zeus Kerravala, these changes were born out of the mobility that enterprise users now prefer in their devices. Mobile computing is the end-all be-all for business technology.

"Traditional prem-based equipment was fine when the endpoints were fixed, but mobile devices require service ubiquity and that's best delivered from the cloud," Kerravala stated.

While it is possible to hook desk phones up to cloud-based phone networks, smartphone and tablet access are becoming the preferred method of connection. This is a direct result of how people are viewing their jobs. The level of mobility that professionals are used to having in their personal lives can have a powerful impact on how they meet their goals in the workplace. As such, they are starting to expect their employers to understand the irrelevance of the physical office in many instances. Some duties can be just as easily fulfilled from a kitchen table as they are from a cubicle.

But it's not just the change of pace required by staffers that's informing the decision to go with cloud communications. According to Nagle, going off-site with telecom can free up room and finances for other endeavors.

"On-premises solutions are not only costly but take up physical space in the office," Nagle wrote. "It is not simply plugging the system in to a phone and off you go. The system will require maintenance, which requires labor. For an SMB with limited capital, a hosted PBX would offer the ability to make that investment elsewhere and not sacrifice communications quality in the process."

Moving Forward

Given the changing nature of work and technology, it might be time to move to a hosted communication system. If physical networks are staring to fail, cloud VoIP is considered by many to be the next step.